Eight months ago, the Brooklyn Nets were thought to have hit rock bottom. Kyrie Irving requested a trade, then Kevin Durant. Brooklyn acquiesced to both, completing the implosion of what many considered the most talented big three in NBA history.

With Durant, Irving and James Harden all requesting trades within a year, the questions about the future began: Were Brooklyn's days as a star destination over? What is the direction of the franchise after such an epic failure?

It took just two months for another star to set his sights on the Nets. With his eyes wandering from his longtime home in Portland, seven-time All-Star guard Damian Lillard sat courtside at Barclays Center for Game 3 of the Nets' first-round series, sparking rumors of interest in a trade to Brooklyn.

A month later, amid his known unhappiness with the direction of the Blazers, Lillard called the Nets and Heat his two “obvious” trade destinations during an appearance on Showtime Sports.

The superstar guard finally requested a trade on July 1, and while he labeled Miami as his preferred team, Brooklyn was a close second. Fast forward nearly three months, with negotiations between the Blazers and Heat going nowhere, a handful of teams showed interest in Lillard.

The Nets were not among them.

Yet, Lillard's interest in Brooklyn never faded. On Sep. 17, Nets general manager Sean Marks' phone rang. On the line was Lillard's agent, Aaron Goodwin. He informed Marks that Lillard was interested in a trade to Brooklyn or Milwaukee, per ESPN Andscape's Marc J. Spears. With seven tradable first-round picks compared to one for Milwaukee, as well as a young centerpiece in Nic Claxton, the Nets were in the driver's seat to make a deal.

Marks was less than a year removed from fully dismantling a team that entered the 2021-22 season as a title favorite. After such a tremendous letdown, that general manager would often be on the hot seat in today's NBA climate. That GM would often jump at the opportunity to acquire a Top 15 player to reengage the fanbase, as well as ownership.

Marks chose another route. He passed on pushing in his chips for an accelerated timeline with the 33-year-old Lillard, preserving Brooklyn's chest of assets for things to come. Lillard was subsequently traded to Milwaukee for Jrue Holiday, Grayson Allen, an unprotected 2029 1st-round pick, and two unprotected first-round pick swaps (2028, 2030).

Brooklyn's decision to hold off is a telling sign of Marks' long-term job security in the eyes of owner Joe Tsai.

With a core featuring Bridges (27), Johnson (28), and Claxton (24), the Nets are now positioned with the fourth-most draft capital in the league to build a package in future deals.  Brooklyn fans can rest easy knowing the Nets are a team with a direction, a team that will not act out of desperation, and a team that will be firmly in the mix when younger stars become available in the near future.